One of the most time-consuming parts of multichannel selling is the listing of new products. Amazon, eBay and ecommerce webstores all have a different required fields, and filling each one out manually is a long and arduous process.

So we decided we wanted to do something about it:

We wanted to build a new, core feature on ChannelGrabber – the ability to create a new product just once, and then list it to all desired channels. And that’s what we’re doing. Our development team is currently devoting all available resources to create this essential Listings tool, and we’re well on the way to a full release soon!

Our staged development process

Because we want to create the gold standard when it comes to listing tools, we don’t want to cut any corners. We want to make sure the new feature is as comprehensive as it can possibly be – so that it has everything you need to easily list products to every channel in one click.

As you can imagine, this is a complex undertaking, with so many variations in the listings process between channels. That’s why we’re tackling the new feature with a staged development process. We’re releasing different parts of the new listings tool in gradual stages, to make sure everything is working as it should – and to ensure all our customers are completely satisfied with it!

Stage 1: Listing imported products

Our first priority for listing functionality was released for initial beta testing in the first week of March. It allows you to take a product that you’ve imported into your ChannelGrabber account, and list out to eBay with just a few clicks.We’ve even added functionality to allow you to list the product to Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce too!

By the second week of March, we’d added even more functionality for beta testing: the ability to list variation products. We know this is essential for our multichannel sellers who list multiple products that have slight variations – like colour and size. One final piece to add to this initial release was the default listing settings. We want to make sure adding new listings is as quick and as simple as possible, so including the option to pre-populate certain fields every time a new listing is created means we can speed up the process and improve efficiencies all around.

Stage 2: Creating new listings from scratch

Our development team is now hard at work on stage two of the new listings tool: adding new products directly into ChannelGrabber.Rather than importing an existing listing and then exporting it out to list on another channel, we’re developing the ability for you to create a new product in ChannelGrabber right away, and then list it straight from our platform onto eBay and all our supported webstores.This removes the need to create a listing in one channel, import it, and then list it somewhere else. It’s another step in simplifying the process and saving you time.

Stage 3: Listing directly onto Amazon

The final piece of functionality we’ll introduce will be the ability to list products directly onto Amazon by ASIN.As Amazon is the most complex marketplace, we have saved this piece of development until last because it will take considerable time and resource to make sure we get it right.But we’re committed to making that happen, so that you can create one new product in ChannelGrabber and then list it out to every marketplace and webstore – including Amazon and eBay.

Stage 4: Testing and improvements

We’re already releasing some areas of functionality for the new listings feature, and we have a team of volunteers who are working hard to put it through its paces – testing every part of it.These ChannelGrabber customers are helping us to identify any problems with the functionality, spot any bugs and iron out the whole process.

If you haven’t registered as a volunteer, you can see how everything works in our new Listings User Guides. We’ll be adding to this as we add new features and functionality to the Listings tool.

We’ll continue to make announcements about our listing tool as new functionality becomes available, so watch this space for more details. In the meantime, if there are any specific features or functionality that you would like to see in ChannelGrabber, do not hesitate to get in touch with us by emailing featurerequests@channelgrabber.com

If you’re new to the world of e-commerce, or considering taking the plunge and opening an online business, why not take a moment to check out this article from our friends at BigCommerce about The History, Impact and Future of Ecommerce?

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